Forevermore
by i luv niki4444
Summary: The day of the final battle she could remember the sky weeping, the wind howling, the sound of combat. Most of all, she remembered the wolf who said, "I will protect you, I will cherish you, I will love you... forever." she wanted to return his sweet words, but not all fairy tales are meant to have happy endings. She had no illusions; hers would be a darker tale.
1. The Hospital

Sorry guys! I wanted to publish the story before I went on family day and I put it on the wrong account! Sorry for the switch! :O

**_Forevermore_**

_Prologue: The Hospital_

* * *

_'What happened?' _Kagome wondered, her head abuzz with a migrane. The next moment, blinding pain slammed into her. Her chest, her arms, her legs. She tried to move but she couldn't.

It worried her.

Kagome's eyes flickered open, but the vast amount of fatigue and agony turned everything into a blur, so she closed them again. It hurt too much to keep them open anyhow.

_**Beep!**_

Next she tried to move her fingers, only to nearly panic when she couldn't make them respond; so she tried her toes. Another failure.

_**Beep!**_

For some reason, she felt like she was doing that a lot… she couldn't remember why though.

_**Beep!**_

The pain started to disappear from her body and another wave of exhaustion nearly smothered her. There was something weighing on her mind though. There was… a dull beeping sound coming from somewhere near her. Her curiosity was greater than her weariness and she tried to listen closer.

_**BEEP!**_

She attempted to open her eyes again, now that she wasn't in pain, and she blinked a few ties as she was met with blinding white light.

"…shi your daughter is waking up."

"Sedate her, quickly!"

"Doctor I've already given her the maximum amount…"

The voices and words all seemed to run together and she closed her eyes again tiredly, wanting to tell them to stop squabbling –and what else could they be doing with such irritated auras?-. It was only a moment later that she felt something warm touch her hand, then her cheek.

Again she struggled with her eyes, but this time they wouldn't cooperate. She was just _so tired_.

"Kagome? Baby can you hear me?" The voice was familiar but hoarse, she felt something wet touch her cheek, "It's momma. Everything is going to be okay. You're okay." Her voice was fading away and Kagome fought to get back to it. She liked the voice, it was soothing and she worried for the pained edge she heard in it.

Yet, she gave in anyway. She was tired… so very tired.

* * *

"_She won't be the same Mrs. Higurashi."_

"..._I know."_

"_She'll have to be careful."_

"_I know."_

_The doctor put a hand on the dark haired woman's shoulder and crouched to look into her downcast eyes. "… I'm sorry this happened."_

"_I am too." Was all she said and she held back her tears as the doctor walked away._

She blinked back tears again and held onto her daughters hand tightly, whispering, "My baby, my poor baby."

"Momma is she… is she gonna die?" The voice that spoke was her son's and he sounded so… casual about it. She turned to look at him, surprised by his tone, and found him staring at his sister's sleeping face with tears silently running down his cheeks.

"I don't know." She said quietly. "I don't know."

* * *

"-can't just leave Mia."

"It'll be good for her grandpa. We can take her home; let her go to school in peace without the kids knowing…"

"It's too dangerous Mia; she can't get on a plane." Her father shook his head and sent her a swift glare, "Especially not a ride that _long_."

Kagome listened silently, out of sight, as they argued.

She got the jist of the argument, momma wanted to take her to America to see her father -now THAT hadn't happened in a while- and, though grandpa wanted to see his ex son-in-law as well, he wouldn't chance his granddaughter's health.

She walked around the corner into the kitchen quietly, stopping the argument and redirecting it to concerned chatter before hushing them with a raised hand, "… I want to go."

* * *

**_i luv niki444_**

Hey Guys! I'm so sorry it's taken so long for this to get out here! A lot's been going on, but that's no excuse for poor diligence. I can't make it better but I do offer my deepest apologies and I'll try to make it up to you.

Also, for those of you reading this who liked Stressing Times, I wanted to apologize for the misinterpretation. It was only meant as a short one-shot to prepare me for writing THIS story, but now, with the amount of people who enjoyed it, I've decided to turn it into a two-shot at the very least.

Onto less serious matters though... I really really hope you guys like this prologue. :D Feel free to leave a review guessing why Kagome is in the hospital or, well any review :) I absolutely adore reviews/favorites/and follows so if you take the time out of your day, I want to say thank you in advance.

-Niki


	2. Sitting

**_Forevermore_**

_Chapter 1: Sitting _

* * *

Kagome sighed rubbing her temple and trying not to glare too much; she didn't want to be rude.

It was just _annoying _to be in a wheelchair when she could walk just fine.

Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder softly and whispered something to the man who was in charge of wheeling her around the airport. A moment later, he had walked off and Mrs. Higurashi rolled her toward the exit. "We have a cab waiting outside…" she started, smiling when her daughter let out a groan.

"Can't I _walk _mama?" She asked grumpily and Souta let out a snort from beside her, muttering, "Wish we could trade places."

Mia Higurashi tried to force a stern expression, even though she knew her daughter couldn't see it. "Now now Kagome, be grateful. You being in a wheel chair saved us hours of getting through airport security."

Kagome snorted, _'That's why she's insisting.' _Her sweet, quiet mother could be oddly manipulative.

Inwardly sniggering, she sent her mom a fleeting grin, _'I like it.' _

"Oh don't look at me like that!" Mia cried, a blush staining her cheeks crimson and her brown eyes open wide, "You need to stay off your feet young lady." Even as she said this, she gestured for Kagome to stand from the mobile chair and step into the waiting cab.

"Does her dad even know we're coming?" Souta asked absentmindedly following her into the car with his mother and grandfather behind him.

Mia blushed lightly, "…Yes; he knows _I'm _coming."

Kagome's lips twitched and she ducked her head away. She didn't know if she should be disturbed or angry that her father didn't know she existed, but it made her oddly giddy.

Getting to see his face when he found out… it should be priceless.

He would probably expect her mother to bring a husband and a bunch of rowdy kids with her, but instead he would get was his ex-wife, _her_ son, **his** daughter, and his father-in-law.

What a group they would make.

"And he gave you his address?" Souta drawled, looking at her wearily, "You haven't talked in like 16 years right? Why would he just up and give you his address…" _'How did you even find his number?' _The unspoken question hung in the air.

Something about the little smile on Mia's face reminded him of Kagome. It was almost creepy… "I have my ways."

His face was blank as he raised an eyebrow, "Right."

* * *

"So you want _me _to go knock on the door…?"

"Yes."

"_Oh hell no_," Kagome muttered darkly, scooting in closer to Souta and away from the door. "I'm not going out there first."

A tick appeared on her mother's forehead and she sighed, "Kagome for the last time, you'll be able to get to know him a little better as a person if you see how he treats you when he _doesn't know _you're his daughter."

The glare zeroing in on her mother's face only earned another sigh, "I'm NOT going to walk up to the door and look at MY dad with this- t-this _ridiculous _outfit on."

Souta sniggered, "Mom where'd you find that…"

"Ma'am? Do you have money to pay the tab?"

"That's irrelevant." Mama Higurashi sniffed and the cabby clearly could not tell if she was speaking to him or her son; so he protested. Her eyes gleaming, she turned her head away so no one would see the mega evil smile on her face, "Now, Kagome, just go up to the door and…"

"FINE. Ugh. Just stop talking about it!" Grabbing the bag her mother had placed on the floor, she headed out, hearing the astonished laughter from her baby bro - and the continued protests of he cabby- as she did so.

She dragged herself –and the bag- to the front door of the very large house and quickly checked to make sure the address was right. "Well… here goes nothing." Pressing the doorbell, she waited patiently for it to open.

And open it did.

A thin woman in a sophisticated pink suit opened the door, glaring down at her through narrow pale gray eyes, "Yes?"

Kagome coughed, unnerved by how the woman looked her up and down distastefully. She _knew _this was a bad idea. If she didn't know better, she'd say her mother was possessed by a kitsune with all the mischief she was causing lately.

"Hello Mrs. Argent. My name is Kagome and I'm here to sell you the _greatest _cookies in the area!" She said, trying to sound enthusiastic and plastering on a big fake smile.

The woman continued to stare at her disinterestedly for a moment before saying, "You poor dear." Then she slammed the door in the teenager's face.

Kagome's smile disappeared into a scowl and her eyes narrowed at the door, "Oh no she didn't." H-How could her dad leave her mother for _that woman_?! She was an icicle!

'_So was Sesshomaru, didn't stop you from crushing on him…' _She ignored the logical part of herself and rang the doorbell again, twice for good measure.

The woman opened the door again, this time with a scowl.

Kagome matched it with a lopsided grin, "As I was saying…"

**SLAM!**

'_Damn her…' _As her temper rose, so did the angry flush on her cheeks. She rang the doorbell again, then again, and again.

She continued this until, finally, the woman opened the door once more, looking disheveled and Kagome wondered –from the odd look her short hairstyle had taken- if she had tried to pull her hair out.

"I don't want to buy any cookies." Mrs. Argent said flatly, preparing to close the door again, only for a shoe to find itself in the way.

Kagome smiled angelically, "Did I say selling? 'Cause I meant giving!" she launched into a story about how her school was giving out free cookies to the poor –Mrs. Argent failed to hide her glare- families in the neighborhood. "…And so if you would just accept some of these delicious cookies…"

"Let me see them." Mrs. Argent sniffed, crossing her arms and sending Kagome another unfriendly look as she dug through the bag.

Kagome swiftly shoved the cookies –trying to look friendly about it- into the other woman's face so she could inspect them. "They're the finest quality…"

"You bought these in Walmart." Mrs. Argent replied pointblank, raising a stern eyebrow and glaring down at the girl.

'_Busted…' _Kagome laughed nervously, "You're mistaken…"

"No I'm not. Allison bought these last week."

"You know nothing Mrs. Argent (1); these are _homemade, packaged, cookies._"

**Slam!**

Kagome's eye twitched, "… She took the cookies with her."

"Kagome!" Souta's voice laughed and soon she could hear that was right behind her, "That was awesome! Mom got it all on tape-" _'No.' _"-but she says it's time to be serious."

Souta walked passed her and rang the doorbell.

The door opened quickly, but it wasn't the nasty woman – no, she stood behind _him_.

The man who opened the door was easily identifiable. She simply looked into the eyes that mirrored her own and knew.

It was Chris Argent, her father, who opened the door.

Kagome was sure that her mouth was hanging open and she was catching flies, but she didn't care.

_This was the person who- _well, no need to think about what he did for her to be conceived...

He looked at them indifferently, "Why are you bothering my wife about cookies?"

Souta looked him up and down and sent Kagome a look that said _'is this all?', _"Chris Argent?"

"Yes?"

"Our mom needs to speak with you." He replied steering away his flabbergasted sister- she was probably creeping him out with her openly astonished look- to the taxi, waving to the rest of the family to get out of the car as he did so.

The cabby stepped out, popped the trunk and unfolded a wheel chair; successfully snapping Kagome out of her funk as she threw an ugly glare its way.

"I'm not sitting down again."

"Yes you are." Mia stepped out of the taxi, took her daughter's hand and gently forced her down into the seat, before wheeling her back to the Argents. "Chris, it's been a long time."

Chris, looking very surprised, gave a small smile, "Mia, you look… different."

"As do you," She grinned slightly, seeing his wife and a teenager step out of the door as he came to give her a hug. "And who are these people?"

"My wife, Victoria," He said stepping away and taking his spouse's hand, then gestured to the teenager, "And my daughter, Allison."

Kagome noticed that her mother's eyes had momentarily zeroed in on the intertwined hands and her smile was somewhat forced, "They're lovely. This is my son, Souta and my daughter Kagome." She turned to where grandpa was walking toward them and said, "You remember dad."

Jii-chan looked from one to the other for a moment before replying, "Well come over here and give me a hug." Chris did so with a grin on his face, "Hey there pops."

Victoria cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the moment, "As… lovely as it is to see you again Mia, what on earth has you so far from Japan?"

Mia forced a smile, "Well, there are some very important things I need to talk to Chris about." Victoria sent her an inquiring look and her forced smile faded, "Private things."

"What's so private that you can't tell his wife?" The other woman asked pleasantly and Kagome sensed hidden venom.

Thankfully, Chris was able to stop the coming argument before it even began, "Just some catching up, there's nothing to worry about." He nodded to his spouse reassuringly, "Allison do you mind showing the others the house while Mia and I talk?"

Allison smiled and nodded, her brown hair bouncing as she did so, "Sure daddy."

Then, without another word, Chris waved for Mia to follow and the two walked off down the street. Allison held her hand out to Kagome and grinned, "So… Kagome right?" she then pointed at her little brother, "And you're Souta."

"Yup."

"Yah."

Allison tried to feel comfortable, but it was hard with the two staring at her like a piece of meat.

"… So you're Kagome's half-sister?" Souta frowned heavily even as Allison froze up, "Does that mean you aren't MY sister?"

"Souta you aren't getting her number. Jeez go after someone your age." Kagome muttered and Souta made a sound of protest.

"What do you mean half-sister?" Victoria ground out, putting hand on her temple –to ease the coming headache- as she stepped to her daughter's side.

Souta and Kagome looked at each other.

"… I don't think we have the sensitivity to be telling you this." Souta finally replied, wheeling Kagome toward the door. "Now if you would just step aside…" He laughed nervously as Victoria blocked his path toward the house.

"You aren't putting a_ wheel_ inside until you tell me what's going on."

* * *

**_i luv niki4444_**

**_(1) YOU KNOW NOTHING JON SNOW! NOTHINGGGGGGGG_**

**_(2) Sorry if I focused too much on her being upset about being in a wheelchair. I didn't mean it as an insult at all. With the type of person she is -restless and hardworking- I'd imagine it's very hard for her to be in one because she feels as though she doesn't need it. _**

It's out! It's out! We fell asleep so now I say! It's out! IT'S OUT! 3

SSSQQQQQUUUUEEEEEE I FINISHED! AND THIS IS OUT!

Lemme' go breath x'DDDD

Ohhhh btw I'm learning to play Tobuscus's Dramatic Song. _ I love the piano in that song so much...

ANYWAY! Thank you guys for reading! I really really hope you like it and please leave a review telling me what'cha thought xDD

_-Niki_


	3. Waiting

**_Forevermore_**

_Chapter 2: Waiting_

* * *

"What's this really about Mia? I know you didn't do all this because of some old pictures." Chris sighed, closing his eyes, "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Victoria-"

"You don't need to apologize."

Chris opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist, "Then what is it? Be straight with me."

"Maybe that's what I'm afraid of." She said quietly, "The last time we were completely honest with each other, we both nearly ended up dead."

"That won't happen a second time."

The way she looked at him… like she was looking at a ghost, was unsettling. He tried to look away, but she quickly reached out and grabbed his face firmly. "You want the truth?"

"Yes." He frowned as her lip curled doubtfully and caught her hand when she was about to remove it. To most people the position would look romantic, but Chris knew better; when it came to Mia Higurashi at the very least. "I do."

She took a deep breath, still disbelieving, and looked deep into his eyes. "I was pregnant." She finally said after several minutes.

"Obviously..."

"I was pregnant when you left."

Chris felt his body go ridged even as his mind went blank. "W-What?"

"Pregnant Chris, I was _pregnant_."

He didn't seem to make the connection even as he heard the words, "… Like a baby; a baby pregnant?"

"Not so much a baby anymore." Mia snorted, but her lips had twitched into a smile, "Yes a baby. What other pregnant is there?"

"You had a baby?"

"Yes."

"**My **baby?"

"_Yes_."

"And-"

"I didn't get an abortion. You have another daughter Chris." Mia smiled gently as her ex fiancé's expression morphed into one of elation.

"Where is she?" Chris said, trying to get his wits about him even as his mind continued to spin. "I mean –well... was that her back there?" He thought back on the girl, what had Mia called her? Ka-

"Yes, Kagome."

He looked back at her, "I need to see her."

"That's why we're here." Mia nodded to him faintly, taking his hand gently and leading him back the way they had come, "She wants to know you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Kagome rolled her head back, popping a few kinks in her shoulder. "So Souta, what do you want to eat for dinner?"

"I don' know, maybe… Chinese?" Her little brother frowned deeply, "Do you think mom will cook for us?"

"We don't have any food."

"We could go to a …market." He defended, huffing.

"Supermarket. Su-p-er-market." Kagome stressed, listening as he repeated the word quietly. "Good."

"Mom can't we let them in; this is getting ridiculous." They heard Allison say.

Victoria narrowed her eyes at them, "They're claiming to be Chris's children. Chris and Mia haven't seen each other for _16 years_."

Kagome snorted, "Newsflash I'm 16; and Souta's my half-brother!"

Rather than argue, Victoria preferred to glare.

Kagome scowled right back.

Souta let out a cough, "I wonder if your husband will be happy you left his daughter standing in the cold…"

Kagome smirked behind her hand, _'He learned that from me. Standing, ha! Cold, ha-' _

"It's nearly 70 degrees." Victoria replied blankly.

'_Dammit, she's smart.' _

"Let them in Victoria. We'll talk more about this when Mia returns."

Kagome's skin crawled as she watched the man come out of the house. He'd been listening to their whole conversation.

What a creep.

There wasn't anything necessarily frightening about him. He looked… old. He was almost completely bald and his hair was white, his face probably once stern was wrinkled with age. Essentially, he looked like a harmless, jolly old man.

Kagome wasn't buying it, her miko energy was rising just being next to him and from the look on Souta's face, his monk abilities were tingling as well.

There was something in this man's eyes… "Who are you?" She asked bluntly and Souta edged closer to her.

The sharp look he gave in return was that of a hungry predator, disguised behind a mask of smiles and charm. He knelt to one knee, his brown –creepy- eyes twinkling, and took her hands with his rough, calloused ones.

She wanted to stand just to see his reaction.

"Well, if what you say is true little lady, I am your grandfather." He looked to Souta and his eyes became more frigid, though it would take a talented eye to notice- thankfully, she'd met Sesshomaru. "You can call me Gerard young man."

"You're creepy Gerard." Souta replied impassively, raising an eyebrow. "Now let go of my sister."

Gerard looked sufficiently surprised, "Oh?" he smiled, "It's good to know that a strong young man is around to take care of my granddaughter."

"Grandpa," Kagome replied angelically as she allowed her hands to slip out of his, "you look like a serial killer."

The way his eyes darkened, she wasn't sure if she'd gained his respect or made a new enemy.

Either way she didn't care much, she hadn't come to make friends with a seriously disturbing 'grandpa'. She had come to see her father, maybe get to know him and her half-sister. Maybe even her stepmother, this Victoria.

However, under no condition, would she willingly spend time with this old bat.

Souta made a sound that was suspiciously like a growl and Kagome got the feeling he was going to pounce on the old man and beat him up.

'_Inuyasha taught him so many bad habits.' _

Thankfully, before Souta could attack Gerard, there was an interruption.

"Um… excuse me ma'am. Will you be paying cash…? 'Cause I only take cash."

"Yes."

"Do you have cash?" The cabbie sounded nervous and looked ready to reach into his pocket, grab his phone, and call the police.

"Yes."

He gulped, now starting to look hopeful, "…Can you… give it to me?"

"No," she frowned slightly, "sir I'm really sorry about this, but I'll be happy to give you a large tip for all the trouble later, but now… please be patient."

He smiled, toothy but nice. "How large."

Kagome smirked, "_Large_."

Souta let out a groan and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'get a room', "Look man she'll pay you two hundred dollars –that's U.S. - if you shut up and get in the car."

The cabbie was happy to comply and Kagome groaned lightly, pressing her face into her brother's arm, "I didn't mean _that _large."

"Too late."

* * *

i luv niki4444

IT'S TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE! TOO LATEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

xD WOOHOO I finally finished it! :D I'm happy now; I think I'll go work on something else. xD

Love you guys! Thank you so much for reading, I really really REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE IT (Like it o_o Like it NOW xD Kidding... o_O) AND PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW AND UM... I THINK THAT'S IT.

I'm really tired. _ I've hit the wall that you are never supposed to hit.

_-Niki_


	4. Cookies?

_**Forevermore**_

_Chapter 3: Cookies?_

* * *

"Can I get you anything?" Mrs. Frostbite asked, walking in front of them as Souta wheeled Kagome into the hall.

"I'd like some milk and cookies." Kagome replied straight faced, unlike her sniggering brother behind her. She could see her half-sister, Allison, crack a smile as she glanced back. Bingo, she already liked the brunette.

"If you have any cookies that is." Souta added, now just as seriously as she did.

Victoria stopped in the hall, causing him to almost ram her in the back – not cool Souta that could have bruised Kagome's knee- and turned to look at them fully. The coldness of her eyes didn't surprise either of them.

Hell hath no fury than a woman mocked. She raised one perfect eyebrow at the both of them.

The siblings exchanged a look. Kagome smiled innocently at her step-mother, "Pretty sure she has some cookies Souta. Can't tell you why, but I've got this hunch…"

Souta snorted and Victoria rolled her eyes and huffed as she started walking again. This time toward the kitchen.

Allison covered her smile with a small hand, "If you'll follow me…"

They were led into the living room, and parked near a beige couch big enough for three.

"Nice setup you have here." That part she meant. The house was friggin huge, and the living room looked like something out of a Home Decorating magazine. Angry step-mother had style.

Grandpa –her actual grandfather; we don't talk about the other one- sat in a beige couch near the fireplace and let out a content sigh.

She plopped into the couch as Allison offered a small 'thanks', the girl looked from the wheel chair to the couch and asked, "So what's up with the wheelchair?"

"It's a-"

Victoria resurfaced then, two large glasses of milk in one hand and a serving plate littered with huge freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in the other. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Kagome stared. Wow. "You have cookies." Actual cookies, not Walmart cookies.

No wonder she wasn't buying any from girl scouts today.

She smiled at Victoria, surprising the other woman, "You are welcomed, oh wonderful step-mother."

Victoria smiled thin lipped, "Chris's sister will be here tonight. She's a… fan of chocolate chip cookies so I thought it would be a nice sentiment."

Kind of rethinking the hating of Victoria Argent. Maybe she wasn't so bad… or maybe Kagome was being swayed to the dark side by cookies.

Wouldn't be the first time.

The milk and cookies were set on the little glass table in front of the couch and small saucers were stacked beside them – how did she carry all that? - before Victoria sat in a large, plush armchair nearby.

Kagome didn't realize that Allison had disappeared until she came back from the kitchen with a glass for herself. Victoria shook her head suppressing a smile, and Allison grinned cheekily. "If I had known all it took was a sister to get my hands on these cookies…" she sat on the couch, right beside Kagome, "I would have called you myself."

She reached for a cookie and chomped down, ignoring her mother's appalled expression, "Allison manners! Those are for our guests so the guests take first…."

"WA?' she gasped mockingly, "But… We're family." Her eyebrows rose goofily, a devilish smirk on her face. "So they can't be guests and therefore I have free reign!"

If they weren't blood, Kagome would have assumed them soul sisters.

She grabbed a cookie herself and took a bite twice the size as she normally would. Completely unladylike – but Mrs. Frostbite looked completely at ease with it. Huh. Could it be she was used to an exaggerated bite like that?

Damn, and she'd been hoping for a reaction.

A half hour rolled by and even Victoria had started nibbling on a cookie. Allison, Kagome quickly learned, was a lot more serious than she had initially thought. They talked about fashion –weirdly enough since Kagome wasn't big on fashion- and Japanese customs, all the while teasing Victoria and laughing at Souta's antics. Kagome even taught her that 'kawaii' in Japanese meant 'cute' in English.

Kagome still wasn't sure why Allison had asked her that word of all things.

Grandpa seemed more intent on talking with Victoria, and somehow had coerced her into listening about the history of demons in Japan, as well as how to expel them from people near and dear to you. She listened with a surprising amount of intentness.

And all through it, this surprisingly fun half hour with the Argents… creepy grandpa was being his usual creepy self. He stood at the intersection between the hall and the living room, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and a smile on his charming, old-timer face.

Evil. That's the vibe she got from him.

Kagome had to swallow a shudder every time she looked back at him and found his eyes on her.

The door closing brought attention to, what was his name? Gerard? Well in any case, everyone stopped talking to look at the doorway in which he occupied.

The charmingly evil old man turned and walked into the hall. She could hear the pleasantries all the way from the living room…

Barf. The man was so obviously terrible that she couldn't understand why no one else seemed to think so –except Souta of course, the smart little devil-.

She was totally going to tell Grandpa he was possessed so she could watch him slap a sutra on the other man.

Probably not a good idea - what with him being evil and all- but she was sure he would have no way to pin the blame on her.

Mwa. Ha. Ha.

When her mother and father –she would never get used to calling him that- came through the door she wasn't sure what she was expecting. The nod from her mother said that he knew about the whole father-daughter thing but…

Upon first meeting him, she had noticed how Chris Argent looked so lovingly at his daughter. The subtle hand on her shoulder, the smile always dancing at the curve of his lips… there was a bond there.

Now she could honestly say she felt a twinge of jealousy.

He looked at her like a stranger –which she was, but it still upset her- that he wasn't sure how to greet. As if to attest to that his mouth opened, his eyes zeroed in on her, but he said nothing.

Dead filled her gut.

Suddenly all she wanted was to leave this house. She was intruding – this was a horrible idea. A mistake. Oh kami what had she done?

She swallowed hard and locked her eyes on her mother. Don't look at him.

She was begging herself not to look as panicked as she felt, but she felt wild and her mother's calming smile hinted that she looked it. _Breathe. _"Kagome… I think Chris wanted to talk with you." She replied gently, "Right Chris?"

"Uh…" Talk about awkward. Chris looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world than in a room with his wife, daughter, ex-girlfriend, and other daughter. The others were just around to enjoy the show and make him feel more awkward. "Could you come with me," he jerked his thumb in a random direction, "for a second?"

Kagome stood as she heard Victoria protesting.

"Relax hon, we're just going to talk." He tried to force a smile as his teenage daughter made her way toward him and he chose that moment to step into the hall.

She followed him without a word as he led her outside. Not a single question escaped the girl whom – he had seen and been told by her mother- was rather mouthy.

He wanted this conversation away from the house. He wasn't sure what would be said, and he didn't want any prying ears listening in. And he had good reason to suspect those ears would be there.

They had walked down the sidewalk a good ways before he stopped and looked at her.

At first glance it was hard to imagine that she was his. Her hair was black as a raven's wing, her nose small and button shaped. She had her mother's full lips. "You look like your mom." He finally said as she began to blush. She must think him creepy staring at her for so long without speaking.

She smiled, crossing her arms over her chest and ducking her head. Another thing that reminded him of her mom. "I've got your eyes." She replied, "And mama says I've got your cheekbones."

She most certainly did. He was seeing it more and more as he looked at her.

This girl was his daughter. He could see it in the soft gray of her eyes, the high cheekbones. He would've mistaken her as Caucasian if it wasn't for her accent.

… And she was looking at the ground.

He definitely had to say something, and fast. "Are you hungry?" he blurted out, "There's a McDonalds not far from here. We could sit down, talk, and maybe do something after." He probably sounded stupid, but he wasn't sure what else to say. Teenage girls were a mystery to him. He could handle raising Allison- but only because he knew her. This girl, while also his daughter, he knew nothing about.

And as she nodded her head and agreed to walk back to the house and drive to McDonalds with him… he realized he wanted to know her.

* * *

_**I luv niki4444**_

I really struggled with this one for MANY reasons.

**1.** **Victoria.** I wanted to clear this up because of the reviews mentioning that Victoria seemed colder than usual. So here's my rational. A random girl (way too old to be in girl scouts) appears on Victoria's doorstep with a lame excuse whilst werewolves are running around. Take into account that Victoria's mindset is that werewolves are abhorrently evil and her daughter is around. What mother wouldn't want to protect their little girl/boy? Then, when Mia appears (Who Victoria knows because Victoria was the other woman while Chris and Mia dated) and she's probably wishing it had been a werewolf. At least she could kill the werewolf right?

But with Allison around I don't think it's in Mrs. Argent's personality to continue to act coldly. Whether getting along with the Higurashis is an act or the real thing you can decide for yourselves. ;)

**2.** **Keepin it Light. **I've been trying to keep this story consistently light hearted, and as it goes on there will be many topics that are the opposite. As I assume anyone reading this story knows, the show isn't all that light. It's like a medium gray.

**3.** **Daughter? WAH? **I kept thinking how would I react if I was told I had a sixteen year old daughter? As of now, I'm 17 so my first answer was "HA that's impossible" but I also wanted to put myself in Kagome's shoes (A lot easier). Meeting your dad for the first time? Talk about awkward - but I feel like that would pass quickly.

ANYWAY! I'm so sorry that this is so long in the coming. To be completely honest, I'm kind of depressed and I'm finding it difficult to motivate myself *sigh*BUT the next chapter should come within a week or two. :) Maybe even tomorrow. I'm finally feeling my mojo coming back.

**Also, i want to know what you guys think**. Should I write the McDonalds scene between Chris and Kagome, or should I summarize the day they had together and get in some time for Allison/Souta/Kagome? Gerard's being creepy, but is he planning something? And how do you think Allison feels about this whole thing?

Much Love,

\- Niki


	5. Lazy Days

**_Forevermore_**

_Chapter 4: Lazy Days_

* * *

If anyone had asked for one sentence about the time she spent with Chris, she would have found an easy answer.

It went by too quickly.

After they walked back, they were met by an irrationally flailing cab driver –he wanted his two hundred bucks- who hadn't left them alone until she'd called mama out to pay and get their bags.

She could tell that Chris was rethinking his life at that moment.

Thankfully, the initial awkward passed in the car ride, after Kagome asked what a 'McDonalds' was and he began to ask questions about her favorite restaurants back in Japan. She was surprised how much he seemed to know about the culture and foods, and – when she said such aloud- he'd turned a teasing smirk upon her. "You realize I lived in Japan for three and a half years, don't you?

As it turned out, he spent three of those dating Mia, and they'd been engaged. Seeing the way his eyes darkened, Kagome decided not to open that can of worms… yet.

She'd give him today to think of her as a not-nosey person.

But tomorrow… no promises.

She could even question her mama about it that night. Who knows?

At McDonalds, conversation took a turn for something it started with conversation of the Argent family business. They sold guns to the police…

"You ever shot a gun, Kagome?" her father asked, he placed his half-eaten burger down to take a sip out of the large coca cola cup. It lied, the only thing inside was water.

Kagome was only half there at the moment. A while ago, she had picked up a two fries and started a war between them. It started to get personal at around five minutes –and five fries per side-and now it was a battled between her group and Naraku.

She glanced up at him, feeling a little irritated. _Can't talk dad, gotta kill Naraku… _

Damn, there was ketchup everywhere…so much_ ketchup. _"Uh, yeah once or twice. Mama used to drag me down to a shooting range sometimes." It was the truth. Mama had tried to arm her with pistols multiple times in case something from the past –Ha! Pun intended- got out of hand.

Hakudoshi went down in a spatter of red.

She smirked, satisfied with herself, and went on, "Guns never felt right though, I'm more of a bow and arrows kind of girl."

She caught his interest with that one. He pestered her about it for the rest of their time at McDonalds, even though she was clearly way more into her battle between fries. When Inuyasha went down, she stood up and yelled at him for distracting her.

He gave her a funny look.

Had she said that she'd try to be normal today? Well it was a lie.

Besides, it's perfectly normal to have French fry wars and get angry when people die.

Moving on.

Her mood had been only a little wrecked at that point so while she sulked, her dad decided to do some damage control. Aka bowling.

Her eyes lit up when they pulled up outside the building. It was light grey and a little run down, but a huge bowling pin was painted on the side. She forgave him instantly.

"You're going to regret this, I'm an _amazing _bowler_." _Amazingly bad; he won the first game by a landslide.

While they bowled, they talked about more important subjects. The first being her schooling. Mama had –of course- enrolled her weeks ago to some high school called Beacon Hills High. The plan was to start classes on Monday at 12. It was still Thursday, so she had time to unpack and rest up from the move.

And that was how she got roped into a tour of the school with Allison… tomorrow. He laughed at her grumpy expression, "I'm sure it'll be fine. If you need any help just ask Allison."

At 8:37, after six games of getting her arse kicked, Chris asked if she wanted to call it a night. She reluctantly nodded, wincing just a tad as he patted her on the back.

"It's for the best. It's a school night." Then, his smile faded to a twitchy neutral expression, "Will you stay the night? Your Aunt Kate will turn up sometime this morning." He added.

Well she hadn't been expecting that. She hesitantly nodded, "If it's alright with mama."

Her leg bounced against the car floor most of the ride home, and her fingers tapped nervously at her aching knee.

"Everything alright?" asked Chris after they had parked. He was eyeing her fingers, probably thinking she was worried over asking mama to stay the night.

"Great." She answered, "I think I bumped my knee against the door earlier." She smiled, and he accepted her answer easily.

* * *

As it turns out, Mama Higurashi wanted to bring Kagome to see the house and claim a bedroom. Souta and Grandpa were already waiting, and she didn't want to keep them waiting… so no can do on the staying over.

Kagome and Allison shared a brief hug –startling the former- and she relieved a firm handshake from Victoria. Then, she shared an awkward wave-because-what-are-we-supposed-to-do with Chris.

So that happened.

They jumped in the back of a waiting cab with the promise that Kagome would spend the next night with the Argents.

"Are you sure you're alright with this?" she asked her mother once again. Her left hand was being held in a vice grip.

Her mother squeezed her hand and rubbed circles with her thumb, "Of course sweetie." She smiled, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason." Aka, 'Because everything, that's why.' She stared down at the slightly dirty carpeting and leaned on her mother's shoulder, "I love you mama."

"I love you too."

There was a silent pause as her mother raised one eyebrow, "Are Souta and Grandpa already at the house?"

She nodded, brushing her thumb over her daughter's knuckle. "Your brother already has his eyes set on the room upstairs.

After only a few blocks, they parked in front of a cute, two-story building. To think, she could easily walk back to the Agent home whenever she liked. She hadn't been in a town so small since the Feudal Era. "Alright alright, he can have it." She teased.

She got out of the car and closed the door gently; from the other side of the car she could see her mother thanking the cabby as she paid. She smiled as she passed her wheelchair- which was sitting on the small porch.

"Thank you dear," Mama ruffled her hair as she passed through the door held open for her.

"Mama!" called Souta, appearing down the hall. He had changed into a black shirt and blue shorts. Which could only mean he'd opened boxes… meaning…

"Are you already unpacking?"

He beamed, "I called the room upstairs."

Ohhh she could give him so much hell for this…

"Kagome, be nice to your brother."

Her lip curled as she released a half-hearted, drawn out groan, "Whatever." She smirked, "Exploring is in order!"

With that, she walked away from them and began her examination. The house was bigger than their previous one back at the shrine, and sparse. The shipments wouldn't be in for a few days yet, so all there was to see was the luggage they'd brought with them.

She tapped her foot as she caught her grandfather's eye. He sat on a lone, hard chair where the living room would be filled in.

He stared, and beckoned her forward, "Somethin' not right about this town." He muttered after she had gotten close to him, "I can feel it in my bones. I'm going to need your help to purify this land."

Right. Well then… "Uh, sure grandpa." He smiled. "I'll do that right after I graduate, okay?" she deadpanned. Then turned around as she heard Souta mutter "crazy old man".

"When did you get here?"

Souta ignored her question in favor of dragging her toward the stairs, "Come on Kagome, you **have** to see my room!"

When Souta wanted to, he could run fast. Must be the soccer, "Slow down b-"

"I'm going to paint it green, Mama already agreed and - oh! A bean bag-" At this point, she decided it would be safer to tune him out. She allowed him to nudge, push, drag, and batter her up the stairs and down the hall, his mouth running like a firecracker all the way. "-black and white checker pattern. How would that look? Sis? Sis are you listening?"

Kagome blinked, tuning back in, "Erm, yes?" she cautiously replied. Honestly she hadn't heard a word before 'are you listening'. Even that was a little fuzzy.

From Souta's expression, he knew it. He rolled his eyes, appropriately miffed, and opened the door.

She was a little surprised. A bed was already set up in the far corner of the room, a black and white checkered duvet spread across the surface. With the time and items he had, there wasn't much else to take in. Two gaming stations –a PS3 and Xbox 360 he'd gotten for Christmas- sat on the floor with their cords spread messily about. She assumed that the TV would sit on oak pressed against the wall. He'd situated everything so that he'd be able to play sitting on his bed.

On the baby blue wall closest to the door, a roughened, deflated soccer ball stared out at them from within a dark frame.

A few months back at one of his games, Souta had scored not only the winning shot, but also the most goals during that game. The coach had taken a liking to Souta and gave him the ball from that game a week later.

"What do you think?"

She smiled at his beaming face, "Nice job kid, you and grandpa must have been busy." She wasn't even going to ask where and how he'd gotten a mattress. They didn't have a car yet…

"Yeah, we found the su-per-market, a huge store that had everything, a mattress factory, grandpa threatened a cab driver, and then we started unpacking the kitchen because grandpa nearly-"

"Hold up, grandpa threatened a cabbie?"

He grinned.

Well okay then.

She backed out of the room slowly, and crept down the stairs. Souta followed her out, preferring to stare at her rather than speak.

"Grandpa did you really threaten a cab driver?"

* * *

Kagome Higurashi considered herself many things… a morning person was not, nor would it ever be, one of them.

She hefted her body from the dark blue duvet, sliding on white bunny slippers as her feet touched the beige carpeting. The alarm rang sharply in her ears and she glanced at it passive aggressively. 6 a.m. too early to deal with… anything. She pulled on a robe, rubbed her sore eyes, and yawned deeply, before, "_Oh shut up will ya?_" She cursed at it in Japanese and slammed a hand down hard on the shrieking alarm. It cut off mid wail.

She flopped down the hall, headed for the downstairs bathroom. Her mother was already awake, and she could hear her scurrying around the house. "Morning honey." She sensed more than heard, and the dazed blurry eyed girl received a kiss on the cheek.

She nodded to acknowledge the presence of the one who birthed her, then stumbled along to the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind her.

Approximately forty five minutes later –no more, and no less- she left the bathroom with wet hair and a far less tired disposition.

"Oh there you are. Morning sweetie."

Kagome stared as her mother once again appeared in front of her. How in the hell had she gotten there so quickly. She blinked and waved half-heartedly.

If her reaction offended Mama Higurashi, it certainly didn't show. In fact, her mom seemed amused, "Coffee's on the table, creamers in the fridge."

Ah coffee. The lifeblood of every Higurashi. She practically ran into the kitchen where she found her brother sitting, already humming and taking a sip of his black coffee. In front of him sat a large platter of scrambled eggs and toast.

Why did the rest of her family always have to be so jittery in the morning? Grandpa had likely already finished his breakfast and was creating ofudas to 'cleanse the demons' from Beacon Hills.

She grabbed the half-empty pot of coffee and opened every cabinet in reach in search of – oh there. The cups were closest to the fridge.

She then preceded to fill the large mug three-fourths, and drowned the remaining cup with caramel creamer. It was nearly overflowing by the time she finished.

The rest of the room watched as she took three long gulps and preceded to add more coffee when it hit the half-way mark. Only then did she speak, "Morning everyone." She smiled brightly, "It's a nice day isn't it?"

She cast a glance out the window to check. Yup, looked like a sunny morning.

"It's supposed to be warm today." Agreed mama. She had a smile on her face that she tried to hide behind her own, overly large mug.

Kagome sat and asked where her grandfather was. She wasn't surprised to discover that the man had disappeared an hour ago; no one had seen him since.

They Higurashis ate breakfast in comfortable silence, but Kagome had one eye on the clock the entire time. At 7:05, she left the table with hurried apologies.

She put on a black based dress littered with brightly colored flowers and clinched the waist with a small black belt. Cute, low heeled strappy sandals slipped onto her feet and she hung a long, thin white-gold chain around her neck. Two small bracelets to match hung on each wrist.

She swiftly went through the process of heating her hair into lengthy beach curls, applying light make up, and grabbing her half jacket from the door handle.

Kagome closed her room behind her and kissed her mother of the head as she passed her. Her hand reached out to ruffle her little brother's hair.

Finally, she grabbed her small white purse on the way out the door, calling a goodbye as she went.

She arrived at the Argent house at 7:47. Allison was hanging out in her car texting when she saddled up to the house, and she beckoned her over. The window pulled down as she neared and Allison grinned, "Hey. So are you coming or…"

And that is how Kagome ended up going to school, of her own volition, on a day when it wasn't required. She wasn't completely sure how she had been roped into this. The memory was already fading into her subconscious, never to be seen again.

She smoothed out her dress as they pulled into the busy parking lot.

All around teenagers were leaned against cars, chatting in groups, locking up their bikes. It was a scene that she knew well, and yet it seemed so foreign. The people looked different, and, as she stepped from the car and stared in awe, it frightened her a little that they spoke in English, not Japanese.

Now would be a hell of a time to forget the translation of 'simple' words. All at once she was rehearsing the sentence structure and pronunciation of the English language in her head, while also worrying over her accent and first impressions. Would today be the day to make or break her high school experience?

The thought was disheartening, to say the least.

She walked side-by-side with Allison into the school, ignoring the stares and whispers, and steeling herself with every second that passed.

They entered the school's office and Victoria Argent's polite smile greeted them. Kagome held onto a printed out map and her class schedule as she was filled in on what she would be doing for the day.

Allison would give her a tour of the school at lunch, and until then she could sit in on Allison's schedule, or her own, as long as she promised to create no distractions for the students. The third option, that she was inclined to participate in, was to explore the school on her own until lunch came, so that she was familiar with the environment.

Kagome smiled thankfully at Allison's mother, "You've been a big help, thanks Frosty." She looped her arm through Allison's as they left the room.

The other girl grinned at her.

"So," she started, "are you ever going to give me your number, or will I need to beg?"

"Sounds like a pick up line." A really pouty one, but a pick up line none the less. That sparked a question, "Speaking of, you used something similar on anyone recently?" Like a boyfriend?

Allison blushed, "Is that your roundabout way of prying?" Damn right. "Well, since you're curious… I might be seeing someone."

'_No need to be coy, we're sisters. Kind of.'_ "Name?"

"Scott. Scott McCall. He's this dreamy guy on the lacrosse team…" And she's gone. Allison had paused in her speech and was now staring out one of the windows.

Kagome followed her stare in time to see two guys talking while one locked up his bike. One had short hair, while the other's was black. They were too far away for her to tell much more about them.

She reached into her purse where she kept a small notepad and pen. She scribbled down her number, glancing up at the clock when she had finished, "Here. You should get to class." She added.

Allison snapped out of la la land just as the bell rang. Her face turned scarlet and she grabbed the number, stuttering out an apology as she walked backward, "Lunch, right?"

"Sure."

Three hours to kill, or was it four? Kagome hadn't paid attention. She supposed that she'd find out her answer eventually.

She wandered through the halls which were swiftly becoming empty. After two minutes, only a few stragglers remained, all of which were running to get into the classrooms.

She glanced at the room number nearest to her, room 102, and then found it on the map she still held in her hand.

Might as well start with the courtyard.

* * *

Fresh air, soft grass, a nice shade. California wasn't exactly hot in February, but it wasn't cold either. And to think, while every teenager in Beacon Hills was sitting in some stuffy classroom, she was able to relax under a large oak.

She'd even fallen asleep at one point, and, to be completely honest, had no idea what class period they were on. And, since we're being honest, she didn't care.

Ah, sweet freedom.

"Check out sleeping beauty." She heard faintly. The voice wasn't exactly quiet, her sleepy ears almost didn't pick up the noise. Not that it was that important anyway – but his voice brought her back from her daze a little.

"Huh?" Another asked.

She hummed, snuggling further into the arm under her head.

Such comfy grass – comfy as in pillow top comfy. Nature's pillow top.

"Your eleven o'clock. Jeez man you can't miss her." The voice lowered, "she's smoking hot."

"Should we wake her up?" The second voice was softer, considerate to the sleepers in the area. Of which there appeared to be many, judging by the words. Speaking of…

'_Too loud, please move your gossip elsewhere.' _She considered shooing them away, but the lazy part of her wouldn't allow for it.

She could tell the two were sitting at a table close to her tree, and if they could just move one down…

"Nah man, if we wake her up she'll be pissed at us."

"Right, and she won't be pissed if she misses her next class **and **lunch?"

Kagome opened her eyes lazily, muttering, "Hey can you two keep it down?" She fell asleep only moments after they finished their stuttered apologies. Nothing could ruin this for her.

* * *

"-ou sleeping?"

This is not how Kagome imagined waking up.

"Uh…"

At all.

A hand touched her shoulder and retracted just as quickly. What the…?

She yawned as she opened her eyes. The grass crunched as her 'waker' stood back a little.

In turn, she eyed him. He was tall with very short, dark hair and brown eyes that were currently staring… she glanced down to her legs quickly. In her sleep her dress had bunched up, revealing her upper thigh.

"The person attached to those legs is up here."

His eyes snapped to hers, his face red, "I was just, uh, admiring- Shit, I mean…" he looked green, "You have nice legs?"

She blinked. In no universe, was this what waking up should entitle. Ever. She watched him intently as she yanked the hem of her dress back to her knees and stood.

He was adorable, she thought. He had a geeky, awkward vibe about him that was just plane endearing.

He hadn't moved, but judging from his face, he was feeling pretty anxious. Not to blame him, just that this was something she had gotten used to. School uniform skirt + Feudal Japan equals a lot of staring, add Miroku into that equation and suddenly one high school student 'admiring' wasn't such a big deal.

Still, he didn't know that.

"After that ogling, I would say you owe me something."

He gaped, "What?"

She grabbed the school map, and her schedule from the grass beside her body, and began to fold them into thin squares. "What period is it?"

He stared at her a second longer, then cleared his throat, "Uh, it – it's lunch." He paused, looking at his watch, to assure himself of the answer, "Like half-way through lunch."

Shit and double shit- this was fixable, wasn't it? "Good to know." Not good to know. "I need one small favor from you, if completed, this will pay off your debt. Understood?"

"Totally." His nerves cleared a bit, and he smiled. "I'm Stiles, by the way." He scratched at the base of his neck.

"I'm Kagome – do you know a girl named Allison Argent?" when he nodded, she relaxed, finally smiling at him, "Can you show me where she is?" he nodded again, looking dazed. She shrugged it off, too excited to wonder.

"Stiles?"

"Oh- uh- yeah! The cafeteria's that way." He pointed toward a door. With Kagome's knowledge of the school, he might as well have been pointing in a random direction.

But no matter. All would be fine.

"Well come on then! We don't have all day." Kagome grabbed Stiles's hand, dragging him to a walk. Was halfway through lunch even enough time to give a tour of a two story school?

Allison would kill her.

While Kagome stressed, Stiles was also having a hard time keeping it together. Things were happening so quickly – it felt like one second he was debating waking up a beautiful girl and the next she had grabbed his hand.

He was sweating bullets as he casually – or hoped it seemed so- lace his fingers through hers and relaxed a little when she didn't recoil. In fact, when he chanced a glance back at her, she was smiling at him.

He looked away quickly, but that helped nothing.

His throat felt tight just thinking of her, this girl he knew nothing about. She could easily have a boyfriend – and there were way too many things going on with his best friend anyway.

He needed to stop thinking. Now.

She squeezed his hand and smiled innocently, "So Stiles," she drawled, "What's this about my legs?"

Dammit.

* * *

_**i luv niki4444 **_

QUICK CHANGE: I realized, belatedly, that Kagome should be 17 in this story, so I'll be going back and changing the age sometime tonight. :D Ignore the previous chapters saying she's 16.

Anyway, I want the chapters to be longer so this is a start! I hope Kagome has stayed in character (somewhat). Why she's acting differently this chapter: New school, she's nervous. That's the bottom line.

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR FOLLOWING AND FAVORITING AND REVIEWING! I love getting the messages ;)

I'll update (hopefully) sometime this week or next week, so until then...

Love you!

_-Niki_


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